"Dawn Sunrise" Asteroceras Ammonite Fossil - England

This is a beautifully prepared, 2.4" wide Asteroceras obtusum ammonite fossil from the Lym Regis region of England. Much of the shell is preserved as a translucent, yellow agate. The rock has been remove from behind this translucent portion of the ammonite so that it shines like a sunrise when backlit. There is a repaired crack running through the ammonite. The rock has been cut flat so that it displays very aesthetically without the need for a display stand.

Ammonites were predatory mollusks that resembled a squid with a shell. These cephalopods had eyes, tentacles, and spiral shells. They are more closely related to a living octopus, though the shells resemble that of a nautilus. Ammonites appeared in the fossil record about 240 million years ago and they barely survived several major extinction events. The last lineages disappeared 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous.